1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a tape having a succession of surface-type fastener pieces each comprising a multiplicity of fastening elements such as hooks or loops for use of a cover of a pocket on a garment, a bag, a brief case, or the like, or for use as a fastener on a diaper cover, a blood-pressure cuff, or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 7 of the accompanying drawings shows a known surface-type fastener tape blank 50 comprising a release sheet 51 of paper and a surface-type fastener 52 attached by an adhesive layer 53 to the release sheet 51. The surface-type fastener 52 has a multiplicity of fastening elements 54 such as loops 55 (FIGS. 8A, 9A and 10A) or hooks 56 (FIGS. 8B, 9B and 10B). As disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 57-2808, circular surface-type fastener pieces 57, 58 (FIGS. 8A and 8B) having loops 55 and hooks 56, respectively, or elliptical surface-type fastener pieces 59, 60 (FIGS. 9A and 9B) having loops 55 and hooks 56, respectively, or heart-shaped surface-type fastener pieces 61, 62 (FIGS. 10A and 10B) having loops 55 and hooks 56, respectively, may be cut out of the surface-type fastener blank 50. The surface-type fastener pieces 57 through 62 are however disadvantageous in that the release sheet 51 cannot easily be peeled off from the fastener pieces of the same size and it is time-consuming and laborious to keep many individual fastener pieces in storage.
As illustrated in FIGS. 11A through 11C, Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 60-98409 discloses a method of manufacturing surface-type fastener tape blanks 63, 64, 65 having series of triangular, circular and rectangular surface-type fastener pieces or chips 66, 67, 68 (FIGS. 12A, 12B, 12C), respectively, defined by cuts 69, 70, 71 each having a connecting portion 72. As shown in FIG. 13, the surface-type fastener tape blank 63, for example, is wound around a takeup reel 73.
For detaching a surface-type fastener chip 66 from the surface-type fastener tape blank 63, the tape blank 63 is unreeled from the takeup reel 73 and drawn downwardly around a guide roller 74 for manual removal. However, when the surface-type fastener tape blank 63 is pulled around the guide roller 74, the surface-type fastener chip 66 tends to depend from its cuts 69 and cannot easily be separated by hand from the surface-type fastener tape blank 63. Furthermore, since no adhesive is applied to the underside of each chip 66, the separated chip 66 must be attached to a desired article by suitable means such as sewing.
Another conventional arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 14. A surface-type fastener tape blank 75 from which surface-type fastener pieces are to be removed is composed of a release sheet 76 of paper and a surface-type fastener 77 attached by an adhesive layer 78 to the release sheet 76. The surface-type fastener tape blank 75 is fed between an upper movable die 82 and a lower fixed die 80. The upper movable die 82 has a cutter blade 81 of a desired shape. In operation, the upper movable die 82 is lowered by a press (not shown) to cause the cutter blade 81 to cut off a surface-type fastener piece from the surface-type fastener tape blank 75, without severing the release sheet 76. The upper movable die 82 is repeatedly moved downwardly and upwardly while the surface-type fastener tape blank 75 is intermittently fed, thereby defining a series of surface-type fastener pieces 79 on the release sheet 76. The surface-type fastener pieces 79 on the release sheet 76 are then wound around a takeup reel 90, whereas a surface-type fastener scrap 91 from which the surface-type fastener pieces 79 have been blanked out is wound around a takeup reel 92.
However, much skill is required on the part of the operator for adjusting the gap between the cutter blade 81 as it is in the lowermost position and the lower fixed die 80 to prevent the cutter blade 81 from cutting off the release sheet 76. For the release sheet 76 would be severed if the gap were too small, and the surface-type fastener 77 would not be severed if the gap were too large. As the surface-type fastener 77 is repeatedly cut off by the cutter blade 81, an adhesive deposit becomes applied to the cutter blade 81. Such an adhesive deposit should periodically be removed from the cutter blade 81 in order to keep the cutter blade 81 effective to cut off the surface-type fastener 77 neatly and completely. When cut off by the cutter blade 81, some fastening elements such as loops or hooks of the surface-type fastener 77 are liable to fall off and cause damage to the skin of the user or a garment of the user, and are also apt to start unraveling the surface-type fastener piece 79.
One known solution is to attach a cushioning member 83 to the cutter blade 81 for protecting the cutter blade 81 and preventing the adhesive material and debris from being deposited on the cutter blade 81. However, use of the cushioning member 83 has proven unsatisfactory.